CHP expects Biden to focus on Turkish democracy, rule of law

Turkey former ambassador and main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) Istanbul deputy Unal Cevikoz, said the party expects U.S. President-elect Joe Biden to place particular emphasis on democracy in Turkey.

What Biden can offer Turkey that President Donald Trump could not in mending the relations between the countries was democracy, Cevikoz said, who is also the foreign policy adviser to CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

“I think the first expectation that we would have from the Biden administration is to put a very strong emphasis on the rule of law, democracy, de-politicization of the judiciary, the separation of powers,” he said, speaking at an online panel for the German Marshall Fund (GMF) titled Turkey’s Foreign Policy Priorities in 2021 on Friday.

Biden could ask Turkey to introduce democratic reforms, and fundamental rights and freedoms such as press freedom, and freedom of expression and association.

After calling for these principles, Biden should take steps to further develop the trade relations between the United States and Turkey, said the former ambassador, a good way for which would be new trade deals.

This could also lead to the revival of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), he said, noting however that it would require the United States viewing Turkey through a lens of democracy.

Turkish foreign policy lost its neutrality, predictability and reliability after the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002, he said.

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